Consumers rate Papa Murphy's as top overall restaurant chain

Technomic's new Consumer Restaurant Brand Metrics Report examined patrons' preferences regarding more than 60 restaurant attributes such as food, service, atmosphere, value and more. The data was compiled to help operators better comprehend consumer behavior in an increasingly competitive marketplace, according to the market research firm.

"Restaurant operators are making efforts to track consumer purchasing habits and attitudes," said Darren Tristano, Technomic executive vice president. "But very few of them have the resources to benchmark their results against their competition and measure performance over time. Today, success depends on excelling on the touchpoints that consumers feel are most important."

Importance of attributes

When asked about the importance of specific attributes, consumers said they feel the strongest about friendly and accurate service and food taste and quality. Service and hospitality received the highest ratings among both full and limited-service patrons.

Specific attributes of friendly service, check and payment handling, staff attention to fundamentals and staff product knowledge each received a top rating from more than three out of five consumers. Friendly service was deemed the most important overall; however order accuracy received a higher rating among limited-service consumers.

Additionally, convenience and takeout is more important for limited-service guests. Full-service consumers prioritize food and beverage more.

Within the value category, the specific attribute that is deemed the most important is the ability to provide value through quick, high-quality service.

Leading chains overall

According to the report, consumers rated Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza as the top chain overall, pointing to the brand's service and hospitality, convenience and takeout and value among all other chains studied. With the combined attributes considered — service/hospitality, unit appearance/ambiance, food/beverage, convenience/takeout and value — the chain received an overall average score of 65.4 percent.

"(Papa Murphy's) excels and check and payment handling. It is also noted for convenience and takeout attributes; it tops its peers in that category in order accuracy, quality of takeout packaging and overall takeout capabilities. Within value, Papa Murphy's is the leader in prices relative to similar restaurants," the report said.

The remaining top 5 chains overall include:

2. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (61.9 percent). The chain earned top ratings in unit appearance and ambience, as well as for food and beverage.

3. Chick-fil-A (61.7 percent) rated high for friendly service, food taste and flavor, and for order accuracy.

5. Firehouse Subs (61.1 percent) received its highest ratings for food taste and flavor, friendly service and food quality.

Limited and quick-service rankings

Papa Murphy's also ranked atop the limited-service (carryout/delivery/takout pizza, quick-service and fast casual) category, followed by Chick-fil-A, McAlister's Deli, Firehouse Subs and, coming in at No. 5, In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out Burger earned the top ratings among all considered chains for staff product and concept knowledge, and for pleasant/friendly service.

Among the top quick-service chains tracked by Technomic for the Consumer Restaurant Brand Metrics' report, Papa Murphy's was once again the leading concept, followed by Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out Burger.

At No. 4 was Krispy Kreme, which received the highest rating for "craveable items" that consumers can only get at this restaurant. Its highest score came in food taste and flavor.

At No. 5 was Culver's, which scored high in service and flavor of the food, as well as for bathroom cleanliness (the highest among QSRs).

Broken down into specific menu categories, Krispy Kreme was consumers' top choice for beverages/snacks. Its top scores include craveable items, food taste and flavor, food visual appeal and order accuracy. Also in the snack category, Cold Stone Creamery rated high for food taste and flavor, food visual appeal and food quality.

The top three burger chains in the report include In-N-Out Burger, Culver's and Fuddruckers.

The top three chicken chains include: Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's and Wingstop.

Value, service

The value category was pulled from an average of four attributes. Papa Murphy's was the category leader and the top chain in three attributes: prices relative to similar restaurants, ability to provide value through highquality menu items and ability to provide value through high-quality service. The top chains in each attribute are as follows:

Finally, the data examined consumers' perspectives of the chains tracked. Consumers were asked to rate these brands on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating "strongly agree" and 1 indicating "strongly disagree."

Technomic suggests that operators in all segments would likely benefit by enhancing corporate social responsibility initiatives that consumers can relate to. The report reads: "In doing so, it is critical that these initiatives be consistent throughout the business, and that they are developed in a way that can be sustainable with the potential to generate positive returns for the business. Corporate social responsibility issues should not be approached as a marketing tactic designed primarily to appeal to consumers' emotions."

Chickfil-A is the overall winner in the brand image attributes, as well as in four specific attributes: has memorable advertising, supports local community activities, is socially responsible and has values similar to my own. Olive Garden is the full-service leader, though it is among the top three chains in only two attributes: introduces new and exciting products and has advertising that makes consumers hungry.

The top chains in each attribute are as follows:

Is a place where the customer comes first: Ruth's Chris Steak House, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger;

Technomic's metrics database includes 115 chains, which were measured on more than 60 different attributes. The consumer feedback is based on ongoing data collection and compiled from a nationally representative sample of more than 80,000 annual consumer restaurant visits.

Alicia Kelso /
Alicia has been a professional journalist for 15 years. Her work with FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com has been featured in publications around the world, including NPR, Good Morning America, Voice of Russia radio, Consumerist.com and Franchise Asia magazine.